The diesel engine never really took off in North America. It was, and still is, mostly reserved for pickup trucks and heavy-duty vehicles, and regular passenger cars rarely use it. Especially after VW's Dieselgate scandal, you can no longer purchase a diesel powered light passenger car in the States and Canada. However, over in Europe, diesel supremacy was a thing for a long time, especially during the 2000s, when every car including tiny little city cars had diesel engines.
While there have been more than a handful of pretty bad diesel engines, and subsequently bad cars that used them, there have also been tons of awesome diesel powered machines. More torque than you can shake a stick at, that signature sound that you either love or hate, with surprisingly good fuel economy. Some of the best of the breed, as you might expect, came from Europe.
9 Volkswagen Golf GTD
Volkswagen's Golf GTI is possibly the most iconic hot hatchback of all time, it's one that every gearhead should own, and many argue that it's the very first one. Over the years, the Golf has also played host to some truly excellent diesel engines. After the Mk5 GT failed to make a mark, VW tried it again with the Mk6 Golf in 2009, resulting in the GTD.
Unlike the Mk5 GT, which was more or less a half-baked GTI, the GTD was designed from the on-set to be a diesel version of the GTI. It wasn't as powerful, but the 2.0 turbodiesel put out 170 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Low-end torque combined with all the driving prowess of the GTI finally made the Golf GTD a great diesel-powered hot hatch.
8 Range Rover TDV8 (L322)
It's the quintessential luxury SUV for a lot of people. The Range Rover quite literally invented the class, and it continues to dominate the luxury SUV space, as it's truly a do-it-all vehicle. During the L322's run, Land Rover offered a V8 turbodiesel engine on the Range Rover, dubbed the TDV8.
Displacing 4.4 liters, and putting out 309 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, the TDV8 was pretty unstoppable, and it gave the Range Rover pulling and towing capabilities that its rivals could only dream of. The engine is actually a Ford design, and if you can put up with the reliability, it's a pretty left-field, but pretty good choice.
7 Audi Q7 V12 TDI
Easily the most heinous car that Audi has ever made. That's a pretty amazing achievement, considering that Audi doesn't really do heinous cars all that much. The story behind the Q7 V12 TDI is pretty simple, but very much not your typical automotive backstory.
During the 2000s, Audi was absolutely dominating the LeMans circuit with their diesel powered prototypes. The R10, the R18, and all the like. The V12 TDI engine designed for this purpose was originally supposed to go in the R8, but it didn't fit. The only Audi model at the time that could accommodate the V12 was the Q7. It made absolutely no sense, but Audi did it anyway. The resulting, extremely limited-production Q7 V12 TDI had 500 hp and over 700 lb-ft of torque.
6 BMW 535d (E60)
BMW is quite good at making six-cylinder engines, and they're also quite good at diesel engines over in Europe. Naturally, when these two elements are combined, you can expect a pretty stonking car to result. The E60 generation 535d was exactly that. While the E60 5 Series is quite the controversial car, it's still one of the best 5 Series generations in terms of dynamics.
The 535d used a 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel with twin sequential turbochargers, resulting in 282 hp and more torque than even the most powerful V8 550i. It was very smooth for a diesel engine, and it retained all the capabilities everyone had come to expect from a BMW at the time.
5 Citroën C5 V6 HDI
Citroën has always had a habit of doing things a little differently than most. The second generation C5, sold from 2007 to 2016, was the ubiquotous French alternative to the VW Passat, the Honda Accord, the Škoda Superb, the Mazda 6 and so on.
However, if you spent enough money, the C5 could trade punches with cars from the class above. As well as the signature riding-on-clouds Hydractive suspension, towards the end of the run, you could spec a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 diesel engine with 240 hp. This engine is also pretty reliable, and it sounds fantastic.
4 Mercedes-Benz X-Class
Yes, Mercedes-Benz really did make a pickup truck. The X-Class shared its platform with the Nissan Navara and the Renault Alaskan, and it was designed for the pickup buyer who just had to have a three-pointed star on the front. The resulting pickup was actually pretty cool, offering technology and powertrains not available on its siblings.
The X-Class was offered with a decent variety of powertrains, including Mercedes' OM642 3.0-liter V6 diesel, putting out 255 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. As Mercedes later learned, the aforementioned buyer who wanted a Mercedes pickup truck didn't really exist, resulting in the X-Class being canned after only 2.5 years on the market.
3 Mercedes-Benz E400 CDI (W211)
Another Mercedes-Benz, but unlike the previous one, this one was far from a flop. The W211 E-Class was offered from 2002 to 2008, and while it did arrive during Mercedes' new cost-cutting, not overengineering cars period, it was still an excellent entrant into the mid-size luxury sedan segment.
For a little while, Mercedes offered a V8 diesel under the hood of the W211, dubbed the E 400 CDI. With 256 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, the E 400 CDI had some impressive pulling power and marginally better fuel economy. However, the engine itself didn't do all that well, as those who wanted a diesel E-Class ended up sticking to the 220 or 320, and those who wanted a V8 just got the E 500 or the 55 AMG.
2 Alfa Romeo 159 2.4 JTDm
North America missed out on almost every Alfa Romeo model in the 2000s, which is a shame, because the iconic Italian automaker offered some of its greatest hits during this time. The 159 was one of them, and one of the best ones. As well as the Busso V6, there was also the 2.4 JTDm.
The acronym is a little confusing, but what you need to know is that this 159 used a 2.4-liter five-cylinder turbodiesel with up to 207 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. As well as tons of pulling power, the 2.4 JTDm also produced a sweet, low-pitch I5 sound. Would you believe, the engine is pretty durable and reliable as well.
1 BMW M550d xDrive Touring
One more awesome iteration of the 5 Series that North America can't have. The Touring variation is one thing, but the M550d has to be easily the best powertrain to pair with this body style. It's not a V8, but rather a 3.0-liter I6 with four turbochargers.
Two small turbos for lower RPMs, two larger ones for higher RPMs, ensuring absolutely no lag and absolutely no money in your bank account if you have to replace them out of warranty. With 394 hp and 561 lb-ft of torque, the M550d xDrive can worry some true dedicated performance cars, including its own big bad brother, the M5.